This (byline linked to G+ profiles) I have a problem with. There are many fledgling searches still out there who have never heard of Google + and don't care to learn anything about it. I'm annoyed by the amount of influence Google puts on it's own brand. I do not believe that the bylines should take you to the Google + page. it's misleading to someone who might think anything that is clickable in the SERPs will take you to the article, site, etc you were intending to land on. I miss the authenticity of the Google search from yesteryear (minus the spam). Good, old fashioned, depersonalized search results. Although, I can't say I don't love local search results - but oh yeah, that goes right back to Google +/Places. To wrap this up and add one more small tantrum: #bringbackauthorship photos; it made the search engines a friendlier place.

Thank you for the post. I had it bookmarked for a couple days before I finally had a chance to get to it - but i knew by the title it was something i had to read - and also bc it made it on moz.com ;)

Anyway, I have to say as an SEO - getting my clients to understand the time and effort that truly goes into long-lasting white hat SEO is one of my biggest frustrations. Most of my clients have/had very little or no idea of how the search engines work.

I always try to educate them about the engines and as to how/why my fees are justified. However, with black-hat SEOs soliciting potential customers for $200 a month (scary) - some of the less educated or the ones refusing to believe the efforts of white-hatters they often times go with the cheap.

Anyway, before I begin an SEO project I have a 26 question questionnaire I have my customers fill out. This eliminates the ones that don't have the resources or who are maybe not that serious and helps to educate the ones that are.

p.s. thanks for the annotations tip - so simple, how did i miss this? ;)

No value added on my part this time - it's my birthday and am not using my brain today (lol) - but am seriously appreciative for this week WBF and the above links - which I am bookmarking...........now!

Thanks for the info and spelling it out for us. Google products are some of my favorite tools to use - and they're FREE!!. I use the Keyword tool all the time. Looking forward to trying the Planner for local search info.

Very informative! I'm surprised to learn that Google pays for information, but it makes sense. Clearly, local SEO is a must for local businesses. It's great to learn the background behind how Google gathers our information.

This answers quite a few questions i always had about directories and citations having my clients info before I submitted it. Very interesting. thank you!!

I have NO desire to work with clients that have no concept of "true" SEO, or worse think that just bc they pay to have a site built - their site should be at the top of Google over night - or in this case TWENTY MINUTES!

Quick, funny story: I recently had a client call me in a panic 20 minutes after going live with their site saying, "there is a major problem...we are not showing up for Miami Short Sales in our search". (Important NOTE - SEO services were never agreed upon due to their budget, so I was only hired to do the Web Design for this client.)

I'll just say this - I remained professional (and explained, again, the realities and COSTS of SEO), but it wasn't easy!!!

Excellent post. Such a clear view of Penguin's effect. I do agree though with some of the other posts, it's only fair that a good EMD with good, relevant content need not be penalized bc they were lucky enough (or could afford) to capture such a choice domain. There was a time when EMDs were rewarded and not penalized. I hope Google does not get too carried away with their algos...